'Big Red One' Soldiers Deploy from Fort Sill

April 13, 2012

By Sgt. Nathaniel Foster, 75th Fires Brigade Public Affairs

FORT SILL, Okla. -- Fort Sill and the 1st Infantry Division said goodbye to the Soldiers of Battery A, 3rd Battalion, 13th Field Artillery Regiment, March 31.

The Soldiers, nicknamed the 'Red Dragons,' deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Upon their arrival, the Soldiers will be united with fellow members of the 'Big Red One,' as they join the Division's Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion.

The 'Red Dragons' will be responsible for assisting the division as it assumes its leadership role over Regional Command -- East. The division's headquarters deployed as a modular headquarters, separate from the units it commands.

The primary mission for the Soldiers will be to work with Afghan nationals and their security forces to enable them to take charge of their country and be in charge permanently, said Gen. William Mayville, the division's commander at a March 7 casing ceremony conducted at Fort Riley. Transitioning Afghan nationals to full sovereignty will be on the forefront of the unit's tasks, the general added.

"We know we have a tough mission in front of us as we prepare to assume command of Regional Command-East," Mayville said. "But our Soldiers are trained, skilled, and they are themselves seasoned combat veterans. They are ready. We are ready."

The battery prepared for this deployment by conducting multiple field training exercise and a culminating training event with the Big Red One's 1st Combat Aviation Brigade.

The Soldiers of 3rd Battalion 13th Field Artillery Regiment, is slated for a 12-month deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.